Dalriada pupils win trip to California

Winners Mi.Time being presented with their winning prize an expenses paid trip to Silicon Valley, California!

Published:10:12Thursday 05 July 2018

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It’s approximately 5000 miles from Ballymoney to Silicon Valley, California.

However, that journey starts with a short walk to Dalriada school. As the Chinese proverb goes, ‘…every journey starts with a single step’.

The three finalists ready to present to the judges.

On Friday, June 15, approximately 32 pupils from Dalriada made that first step in the preliminary round of the Digital DNA mobile app competition. Hosted in school, Mr J.Farmer and Mr T.Gamble had the challenging task of shortlisting nine teams entered to just three – these three would be the finalists who would go through to the Digital DNA competition final in Belfast on Wednesday, June 20.

The range and variety of ideas that pupils had come up with was simply amazing. They had an app for signing in whatever sign language you needed, an app for large scale distribution of unwanted food to those in most need (such as foodbanks), an app to assist pupils who struggle with using homework diaries, an app to educate and assist people who want to care for pets (even exotic ones), an app to promote a healthier lifestyle by putting you charge of a virtual pet and it went on!

The following three teams were selected from Dalriada and made it to the grand final in Belfast: Food Donate (Joe Williamson and Gilan Quigg), Hands On (Alice Christie, Nirucha Morelli and Esther Borland) and Mi.Time (Lana McArthur, Chloë Bond and Jessica Pinder).

The innovation and originality shown by each of the teams was worthy of any finalist but, being a competition, only one team from one school could be crowned winners of the Digital DNA mobile app competition of 2018. “…and the winner is… Mi.Time – from Dalriada school, Ballymoney! Well done –

you are on your way to Silicon Valley, California!”. Mi.Time is a mobile app concept, designed by the three girls in year 9, to help people with dementia meet the daily challenges of life. Well done to Lana McArthur, Chloë Bond and Jessica Pinder.